


The Birthday Boy

by SunshineAndRainbows



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, BOM!Keith, Gen, Happy Birthday Keith, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Short & Sweet, blade of marmora, ehhhhh, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 19:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12464004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineAndRainbows/pseuds/SunshineAndRainbows
Summary: Keith has been working with the blades for months—yes, he’s been counting, but a certain date still managed to sneak up on him.





	The Birthday Boy

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to write like the first half of this, then the second half spontaneously happened, so I’m posting it before I chicken out.

 

     Keith stared at his tablet.

  
     During their earlier days in space, Pidge had programmed a calendar app to keep track of earth’s date, even without satellite contact. When she passed it out, it had been already been programmed to remind them about her birthday. Once Lance had seen that, he announced his own birthday (and wishlist), as well as Hunk’s. Shiro had made the same joke that he always made (‘ _well, mine’s not for a few years, but we can celebrate on the twenty-eighth’_ ), which turned into a long, teasing conversation about leap year babies.  
     And Keith... Keith had stayed silent, had watched the conversation unfold in front of him, but didn’t take part.

  
     He couldn’t remember the last time he did anything at all for his birthday, much less anything special. It was... just another day, had been for a very long time.  
     He hadn’t even remembered it was coming up.  
     Some wave of silly nostalgia had made him wonder exactly how long ago he had last seen his te—the paladins in person.  
     Had it already been a full day? ( ~~Yes~~ )  
     Two days? ( ~~Yes~~ )  
     Three? ( ~~Yes~~ )  
     A week? ( ~~Yes~~ )  
     A month? ( ~~Yes~~ )  
     Two months? ( ~~Yes, in three, two, one...~~ )  
     Then, after October 22nd, it was October 23rd and the number still took him by complete surprise. He shot a glance to the year and—oh.  
     “I’m an adult.” he said to himself, some hint of awe in his voice.  
     “You’re _what_?” Theka, a blade he had befriended recently, seemed to materialize beside him.  
     He startled to the side so bad he nearly fell, “What?” He echoed.  
     “You said you are an adult.” Her mask was down, and he could feel her eyes searching his, “like you were not before.”  
     He hadn’t told the Paladins his birthday, hell he’d never told  _Shiro_  his birthday (Shiro found out anyways, somehow, but  _Keith_  hadn’t spilt); he didn’t want to tell the blades.  
     “Nnoooo” he forced out.  
     Theka stared him down for several more seconds, before sighing, sliding down to sit against the wall. “You are a terrible liar. Sit with me.”  
     He reluctantly sat down beside her, knees to his chest.  
     “You are young, and I am sorry.” Theka began, “when I came of age, my mother told me that she mourned for me; for I had inherited a broken universe, and everything she had ever done to make it  _better_  seemed like nothing more than a hyrig, bothering the back of an athuryn... You don’t... ok, a hyrig is this tiny, inconsequential parasite, and an athuryn is a large beast whose chitin plates are  _far_  too thick to be breached regardless—“  
     “Got it.” Keith interrupted, “and it’s fine. It’s not your fault... Or your mother’s.”  
     “All the same...” Theka huffed out a tired laugh, “I mourn for you, Keith. I wish you had had the chance to grow up in a peaceful universe.”  
     “... I wish you had too.”  
     Theka gave him a soft, sad smile, which transformed all too quickly into a smirk. She launched to her feet, pulling him with her, “now come. I don’t intend to allow such a momentous occasion to go uncelebrated.”  
     “What? No, Theka it’s fine—” Keith said as he was dragged down the hallway. He would never admit to the smile on his face.

     Keith couldn’t remember the last time he’d done anything for his birthday, much less anything special.  
     But.  
     It was kind of nice.


End file.
